Life, 1887-02-24 · page 1 of 16
Life — February 24, 1887 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Dollars and Scents" - Life Magazine, February 24, 1887 This satirical cartoon depicts a social encounter between two figures. The text reveals the joke: Clara remarks that John's lover "look[s] lovely" with "just been gathered" flowers, and notices "a little dew upon them." John defensively insists the dew is genuine—"Not a cent, Clara, I assure you, not a cent!" The satire plays on a double meaning: "scents" (perfumes) versus "cents" (money). The cartoon mocks John's anxiety about appearing cheap or fraudulent. He's worried Clara suspects he bought artificial flowers or used cheap perfume instead of genuine dew, suggesting social anxieties about displaying adequate wealth and taste to impress women in Victorian courtship rituals.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME IX. "NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 24, 1887, Entered at New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1886, by Mrrenmit. & Minusr. DOLLARS AND SCENTS. Clara: OW, JOMN! WHAT LOVELY FLOWERS! THEY LOOK AS IF THEY HAD JUST BEEN GATHERED. WHY, THERE'S A LITTLE DEW UPON THEM ! John (comewhat embarrassed): Due UPON THEM! Nor A CENT, CLARA, I ASSURE You, NOT A CENT: a comicbooks.com